Lost and Found
by GalahadsGurl
Summary: Rating just to be safe. Jesse's sick. Can Mutant X can Emma let him go? I'm back, finally! Complete! R
1. Prologue

Summary: Jesse's sick with little to no hope. Can Mutant X save him? Or will they be forced to watch one of their own die?

Spoilers: Set after "Fool for Love" and before "Kilohertz." Nothing applies after "FFL." Lexa and Leo Pierce are going to appear later in the story. Adam's duplicity doesn't apply in this story. And Lexa had rescued her brother from the Genomex hospital. Adam and Lexa never had an affair, but they are attracted to one another. But for now, it's the Fantastic Four. And Adam of course.

Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X. I don't even know who owns Mutant X, but I know it isn't me. However, I wouldn't mind owning Jesse Kilmartin, preferably handcuffed to my bed.

Prologue-

Emma DeLauro was watching Jesse Kilmartin closely. He looked healthy and relaxed. But she knew that he was not healthy and he was not relaxed. Though she could tell that he was trying to hide it from her, there was something very off about her friend and teammate. The little voice in her head shot out its own opinion, _And the man you love, Emma, don't forget that. _It taunted her, reminding her of everything she wanted from him.

Glaring up toward the ceiling, she growled to herself, _Shut up! Leave me alone! Jesse is my friend. _She looked back at Jesse, just in time to see him stagger and slowly fall. "Bren!" she shouted, pointing at Jesse as the young blond man started his one way trip to the floor.

Whirling away from his dance partner, Shalimar Fox, Brennan Mulwray managed to catch his best friend before he hit the floor. "Jesse! Come on, man. Talk to me here, Jess."

Jesse's head lolled and then his eyes crept open until they were thin slits. Emma was there before another word was said. Jesse's eyes were quick and alert, even though the rest of him was sluggish and lethargic. They landed on her and the tension in his muscles visibly eased. "Emma." He moaned, one hand reaching for her.

"I'm here, Jess. I'm here." She said, taking his hand and brushing his hair away from his face. "Come on, Bren, help me get him to the car. I'll take him back to Sanctuary."

Jesse's head shook back and forth slowly. "No. We're supposed to be having fun. Stay, I'm just tired. I'll sleep in the back of the car. Stay, please. I don't want you to have to cut your night short on my account."

"I'm taking you back to Sanctuary. No matter what you say."  
Jesse's eyes blinked slowly and he nodded. "Kay."

Emma smiled at him and kissed his hand before nodding at Brennan. The tall, dark haired elemental nodded back, lifting the molecular off the floor and into his arms. Jesse's eyes rolled back into his head as he left the ground, suddenly making him deadweight. "Good grief. He weighs a ton. He needs to stop eating so much."

Shalimar chuckled, following the group. Though she was putting on a brave face, she was very worried. She and Jesse were close; the molecular was her little brother. She was very protective of him, that protectiveness matched only by the protectiveness that Brennan felt for Emma, the woman he viewed his little sister. Emma held Jesse's head as Brennan lowered the unconscious blond molecular onto the backseat of Jesse's Mustang convertible. "Will you be okay?" Brennan asked, looking at his sister with concern.

"I'll be fine. I just need to get him to Adam. Adam will know what's wrong."

Brennan nodded, kissing her forehead. "All right. We'll be back soon. Okay?"

"Okay." Emma said with a smile before climbing behind the wheel and driving off.

Brennan wrapped his arms around the shivering Shalimar. "Do you have your purse?"

"Yes."

"Good. Let's go home. I know you're worried about Jesse."

Shalimar looked up at him, smiling radiantly. That was part of the reason that she trusted Brennan so much. He could read her like an open book. "Thank you, Bren."

"It's okay. Come on."

Emma called Adam as she was driving. "Adam?"

Adam was in bed and rolled over, checking the clock before answering his surrogate daughter. "What's up, Emma? It's nearly 1 in the morning."  
"It's Jesse. He collapsed at the club tonight and then passed out a few minutes later."

"Can you sense what's wrong?"

"No, even unconscious, he's got it pretty locked up."

"All right. When you get here, bring him to the lab."

"Okay, Adam. We'll be there soon."

"See you when you get here." And then Emma's COM ring went dead.

Emma continued to drive, looking back once at Jesse. He was still sleeping, but he looked like he was in pain. Stopping at a red light, Emma reached back and sent soothing thoughts through his head. Immediately his face eased and he slept peacefully. "Come on Jesse, hang in there with me for just a little longer. Please." She whispered, holding tightly to the steering wheel as she drove toward home. Toward Sanctuary.

When she arrived at Sanctuary, Adam came running to the car, a stretcher floating along beside him. "Is he okay?"

"He was in pain, but I did what I could to try and ease the pain tele-empathically. Like I did for Brennan once."

Adam nodded, moving to the side of the car. Leaning in, he lifted the young man effortlessly, laying him on the stretcher. "Come on, let's find out what's wrong with him."

Emma nodded, jogging alongside the stretcher as Adam directed it back to the lab. Jesse lay quiet and peaceful, the only sign of his illness his ragged breathing and chaotic mind. "Hang on, Jess. I'm here, okay? Emma's here." She soothed as his breathing became erratic and rushed. "Easy Jesse, slow down. Nothing's going to hurt you while I'm here. I promise. Nothing will hurt you when I'm at your side."

Adam watched his two children together as he transferred the molecular to the scanning chair. "Okay, Emma. Start the scan after I take a blood sample."

Emma nodded, watching as Adam began to gently pull Jesse's shirt over his head and tug his sneakers off his feet, leaving him barefoot and only in his pants. He grabbed a syringe, tying a tourniquet tightly around his arm. Easing the syringe into the vein there, causing a flinch, he extracted the blood sample and then nodded at Emma. Emma nodded back and turned on the scanner, watching as the double yellow rays scanned up and down Jesse's inert form. "All right then. Emma, I want you to go get some sleep. Jesse will be fine for the evening here. I want to run some tests and look at the scan to see what I can find out."

Emma nodded, standing next to Jesse. "May I stay with him? Just for a little while?"

"Sure. I'm sure he'd appreciate the company. Jesse hates the lab, he says it gives him the creeps."

Emma smiled, remembering Jesse's reaction to the lab was usually a barely controlled shudder. "Thanks, Adam."

"No problem, Emma. Just promise me that you'll get some sleep eventually."

Emma nodded her smile lighting up the room. "Yes Adam."

Adam smiled at her, the love he felt for her blooming in his heart. She was his daughter in all ways but by blood. And she made him so proud.

Emma took the chair next to the bed, watching Jesse sleep. For almost an hour it was completely silent. Brennan and Shalimar had both come and gone, having been assured that Jesse would be fine. At last, Jesse's eyes began to flutter. "Em?" he moaned, trying to open his eyes.

"I'm here, Jess. See, I'm right here." She said, taking his face and turning it toward her gently.

He grimaced, the pain lifting his back from the bed. "It hurts, Emma." He whimpered, his eyes squeezing closed as though to squeeze out the pain.

"I know it hurts, Jess. I know it does. But you just have to lie still and let Adam find out what's wrong."

Jesse bit his bottom lip, turning his head to the side. Emma knew what that meant. Jesse already knew what was wrong, but he wasn't telling anyone. "Jesse, do you know what's wrong with you?" she asked, placing a gentle hand to his cheek and turning him to face her.

Jesse opened his eyes, the aquamarine meeting the piercing blue fearfully. "I know what's wrong with me, Emma. I don't want you to know and pity me."

Emma looked at him, her eyes softening and a small smile curving her lips. "Oh, Jesse, I would never pity you. I would try to help you."  
"Really?"

"Of course, Jesse. You're my friend."

Jesse's mouth twitched and his back arched a bit. "Just a friend?" he whispered, reaching one hand to her cheek.

"No, Jesse, not just a friend." Emma said softly, standing and placing her forehead against his.

"Could you help me convince Adam to let me sleep in my own room? I'm fine, I'm just tired right now."

Emma looked at him and nodded, turning to face Adam. "Adam?"

Adam turned from the results of the scan, looking concerned. "What's wrong?"

Emma squeezed Jesse's hand as his grip suddenly tightened, her hand the only thing helping him steady himself through the fresh bout of pain. "Jesse's awake. He wants to sleep in his own room."

Adam shook his head, coming into Jesse's line of sight. "Jesse, I can't let you sleep unsupervised tonight. I need to know someone is with you at all times."

Jesse's eyes closed in disappointment, before crawling back open at Emma's next words. "What if I stayed with him in his room tonight? He wouldn't be alone and I'd be there to call you if he needed you sometime during the night."

Adam looked down at Jesse. "Would that be okay? She'd have to sleep in the bed next to you, is that okay?"

Jesse nodded, whispering, "That's fine."

Adam looked thoughtful for a minute before nodding. "All right, I'll call Brennan to help get you to your room."

Jesse nodded, smiling gratefully. "Thanks, Adam."

Adam smiled down at the boy he considered a son and squeezed his shoulder gently. "That's all right, Jesse. We'll get you feeling better in no time."

Jesse nodded and closed his eyes. Adam spoke into his COM ring. "Brennan, could you meet me in the lab right now?"

"Adam, it's three in the morning. I want to be sleeping right now."

"Please. I need you to help Jesse to his room. He's weak and I don't want to foster him off on Emma and have her struggling with him."

"I'm on my way. How's he doing?"

Adam looked back over his shoulder to where Emma was helping Jesse pull his t-shirt back on. "He's weak and he's tired. What's worse is, I think he's in a lot more trouble than we know."

"I'll be there in a second."

A few minutes later, Brennan strolled into the room, wearing just his pajama pants. "Hey, bro, how are you feeling? You scared Shal to death with your little fainting spell back at the club. She's going to rip you a new one when you're better."

Jesse nodded, sitting up slowly. "Tell her I appreciate her concern."

Brennan nodded, coming over and helping his best friend to his feet. "Let's get you to your own room, all right?"

Jesse nodded and leaned heavily against Brennan the whole way back to the room. Emma followed, moving to open the door and let the two men in. "Could you stay with him, Bren? I just need to get something from my room and I'll be right back."

"Sure thing, Em." Brennan said, easing Jesse into a sitting position on the bed.

Emma smiled at her brother before going into her own room to get her pajamas and some candles to try to soothe Jesse into sleep. When she came back, she was alarmed to see only Brennan on the bed. "Where's Jess, Bren?" she asked, as she scattered the candles, lighting each one as it was placed.

"He's in the bathroom. It kind of sounds like he's throwing up."

Emma nodded. "All right, thanks for waiting with him, Bren. I've got him from here."

Brennan nodded and kissed his little sister's forehead. "Take care of him. Try to keep him in bed and we'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Aye aye, captain." Emma said, giving him a mock salute.

Brennan smiled at her and then left. Emma went to the door, knocking on it carefully. "Are you okay, Jesse?"

"I'm fine, Emma. I just felt sick, that's all." He murmured as he opened the door and stepped out.

"Okay, let's get you into bed." She said, sitting him on the side of the bed.

Going to the dresser, she began to rifle through, looking for a muscle tank and a pair of pajama bottoms. Her hand brushed a bottle at the bottom of the door. Checking over her shoulder, she saw that Jesse had lain back and was as still as a church mouse on a Sunday. Lifting the pill bottle from the recesses of the drawer, she had to choke back a gasp at what was inside. They were pain pills. Setting them out of the way, but where she could get them to take them to Adam, she pulled out a pair of pjs and a tank. Sitting next to him, she wasted no time in getting him undressed. She steadied him as he stepped into the pants and then wrestled his arms into the tank. "All right, Jesse. Lay back. Let me get changed and I'll be right in."

Jesse nodded, his eyes closed in exhaustion. Emma quickly peeled off her pants and halter, changing into the nightshirt. She climbed into the bed next to him and wrapped him tightly in her arms. He burrowed his head into the valley between her breasts and sighed. "Good night, Emma."

"Good night, Jesse. Let me know if you feel sick, again, okay?"

"Okay. Emma, could you stay in my head? I've been having really nasty nightmares."

Emma looked at him and nodded, kissing the crown of his head. "All right, Jesse, just go to sleep."

Jesse nodded and quietly slipped into dreams. Emma sighed, stroking her fingers through his hair as she concentrated before slipping into his mind right behind him.

Nearly four hours later, Emma started to wake up, feeling something warm and rough invade her senses. As she came closer and closer to consciousness, she arched as her legs were spread and the tongue of Jesse Kilmartin began to lave the area between her legs. Her hands reached down, holding his head loosely, crying out softly as her body convulsed. With a feral smile, Jesse crawled back up her body, kissing her sweetly. "Morning Emma."

"What time is it, Jesse?"

Jesse turned to the clock, "It is 7 o'clock. Adam is ensconced in the lab and Shalimar and Brennan are still lazing in bed."

"Why Jesse?" she asked him, trying to probe his mind subtly.

Jesse laid down, holding her body close to him. "I'm dying, Emma."

Emma gave a cry, shooting up to look at him. "What? No, you can't. I lo….no! I won't let you."

Jesse chuckled, pulling her back down to him. "I don't think that you have much say in the matter."

"What about Adam? Surely he can help."

"Adam already knows. I have cancer, Emma. I've had it since I was 14 years old. That's what the pills are for that you found last night. I wanted you to find them. And I love you too Emma."

Emma's blue eyes sought his out and she sobbed, pressing her lips to his mouth. "You can't die, Jesse. I won't let you. I love you so much."

Jesse smiled, kissing her passionately. "Don't think about it. It's getting worse, but I'm not dead yet. Okay? Just think about us, here and now."

Emma looked up at him and nodded, kissing him harshly. Together the two soared to amazing heights.

Several months passed and Jesse started to stabilize. Emma continued to spend her nights in Jesse's bed, holding him and loving him. Then one day, Jesse's world flipped upside down. Mutant X was on assignment when they were ambushed by GSA agents. Halfway through the fight, Emma went down from a bullet to the upper thigh. Jesse let out an almighty roar as Emma hit the ground hard. "Emma!"

"Go Jesse! You can't stay here! Go!" she screamed. "Brennan! Get him out! Please."

Brennan looked at his sister, her pleading eyes begging him to do as she said. He nodded and grabbed Jesse around the waist as he moved to go to her. "Come on Jess. We have to go. If we stay here, we'll all be caught and there won't be anyone to rescue Emma."

"Emma, no!" Jesse screamed, fighting Brennan's grip.

Shalimar saw Emma's pleading eyes turn to her and she nodded at the silent request she saw there. She reached up and punched Jesse, causing him to go limp in Brennan's arms. Brennan heaved him over his shoulder and ran to the Double Helix. Turning back at the ramp, Shalimar watched as the GSA agents began to close in on Emma. Emma tilted her head back, looking up at the sky. "Natalie, if you can hear me, get me out of here!"

A puff of blue smoke, an Emma clone wrapping her arms around Emma and then both disappearing into an identical puff of blue smoke. Brennan and Shalimar exchanged looks and then they took off, leaving the GSA agents with nothing.

When Jesse woke up hours later, he looked around the lab and was barely able to contain his shudder. Reaching behind him, he winced as he sat up. "Adam?" he whispered, unable to force his voice any louder than that.

A strong hand reached out, pushing him back down. "Easy Jesse. Shal gave you quite the knock on the head." Came his father's soothing voice. "Lie still."

"Where's Emma?"

"She's gone, Jess. The only good thing I can say is that she's not in GSA custody. She's just gone."

Jesse's eyes squeezed closed. Shalimar came running in. "I think we found Emma's Natalie."

"Oh really. Well do show me."

Shalimar went to the computer, pulling up Emma's file. "That's Emma's file. That's not Natalie." Jesse said, his words slurring with exhaustion and pain.

"Nuh uh, not so fast. Look at this. Siblings: Identical twin sister, Natalie DeLauro. So Brennan went to check her file and sure enough, you have a dossier on a Natalie DeLauro." Shalimar said, typing in Natalie's name. "Natalie DeLauro. Psionic: teleportation and telepathy. Also a sister bond with her twin unlike any ever been recorded. I guessed that because both are psionic, they are more in tune with each other than most twins."

"Good guess. Well at least now we know where Emma is."

"Uh, no we don't. Natalie DeLauro has no recorded home port."

"What about Emma's ring?"

"It's been deactivated."

"Damn. I guess we'll just have to wait until Emma can come to us on her own."

Shalimar nodded, looking at Jesse. He had already slipped out of consciousness again. "What's wrong with him, Adam? He's been ill since he was 14, but no one ever told me what that was."

"That's for Jesse to tell you, not for me. But Emma kept him pretty stable. I won't be surprised if he gets worse as time goes by."

Shalimar nodded, crouching beside her brother and holding his hand. "Please be okay, Jess. I need you to be okay."

tbc...


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: See Part One

Chapter 1-

Nearly three years later, Jesse was working at the computer. He was tired but stable for the time being. He was breaking down and Adam had advised him not to use his abilities for awhile until he could find something that would allow for more control. There was a cry from Shalimar and a crash. Jesse was up and at the top of the stairs before another sound could be made. A little boy with Emma's blue eyes and Jesse's shaggy blond hair stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking at Shalimar with wide eyes. "Auntie Natty?" he sobbed, his little hands clutching a computer disc.

Jesse looked at Shalimcket, before lifting the boy. "What's your name?"

"Skyler Kilmartin. My momma calls me Skye."

"Who was your momma?"

"Emma DeLauro."

Jesse staggered, his eyes glazing and dazed. Shalimar took the boy and sat Jesse down. "Easy Jesse. Breathe. Jesse, you have to breathe."

Jesse took a gasping breath and looked at the little boy. "Is your momma okay?"  
"Yep, but she's hiding. Auntie Natty teleported me here so that my daddy could keep me safe."

Jesse nodded, taking the little boy b/p> 

"Skyler Kilmartin. My momma calls me Skye."

"Who was your momma?"

"Emma DeLauro."

Jesse staggered, his eyes glazing and dazed. Shalimar took the boy and sat Jesse down. "Easy Jesse. Breathe. Jesse, you have to breathe."

Jesse took a gasping breath and looked at the little boy. "Is your momma okay?"  
"Yep, but she's hiding. Auntie Natty teleported me here so that my daddy could keep me safe."

Jesse nodded, taking the little boy back and taking him into the lab. "Adam!"

Adam looked up at Jesse's desperation filled cry. "What's wrong, Jess?"

"This little boy's name is Skyler Kilmartin. He says his mother is Emma DeLauro and his father is Jesse Kilmartin. Could you maybe prove that?"  
"Sure, Jesse. Come here, little boy. My name is Adam, but you can call me Grandpa."

The little boy nodded his thumb firmly in his mouth. Adam did a quick scan, comparing his DNA to that of Jesse's and Emma's. "This boy is the son of Jesse Kilmartin and Emma DeLauro. His DNA is a perfect match."

Jesse nodded, pulling the disc out of his pocket and putting it into the computer. Hacking into it, he pulled up one of the video files on it. A beautiful woman looking exactly like Emma showed up on the screen. "Before you think that I am my sister, let me introduce myself. I am Natalie DeLauro."

Jesse hit the pause button and called Brennan through their COM rings. "Brennan, get to the lab, quick. There's someone you need to see."

Brennan came running into the lab, stopping first at the sight of the boy and then the Emma look-alike on the computer screen. Jesse started the message over again and then went to lift the boy into his arms. "Before you think that I am my sister, let me introduce myself. I am Natalie DeLauro. The little boy's name is Skyler Kilmartin, and he is Emma's son. He was given to me when Emma was forced into hiding by the GSA. That was nearly two years ago. If I am not with my nephew that means that I could not get away from them and I just barely managed to get my nephew to safety with you, Jesse. I am either dead or I have been captured with the intention to capture my sister as well. Listen to me well, Jesse Kilmartin. Emma is alive. But you must get to her first. Emma told me that your caliber with a computer well outranks mine, so I have encoded the directions to my sister in a CD that Skye should have in his knapsack. The other video message on here is one that Emma recorded some time ago for your eyes only. Please, save my sister. I cannot have her son grow up without her. He loves her too much. Skyler is a molecular and psionic hybrid. He's almost three years old and his gifts manifested early. Tell him I love him everyday and retrieve my sister. Only with you is she safe. She loves you, Jesse. Never forget that. Good bye and take care of Skyler for me." And with that the screen went dark.

Brennan turned to look at Jesse as he picked up the little boy. "Welcome home, Skyler. I'm your daddy."

Skyler looked at Jesse with wide eyes, before throwing himself into Jesse's arms. Jesse tightened his arms around him before he burst into tears. "This is your Aunt Shalimar, and your Uncle Brennan. And this is your Grandpa Adam."

"'Lo." The little boy whispered, waving a tiny hand before burying his face into his daddy's shoulder.

Watching Jesse stare at the other video icon, Shalimar approached the boy. "Hey, Skye, are you hungry?"

"Uh huh."

"Okay then, let's go get you something to eat. Your daddy has something he needs to do."

Skyler nodded and leaned away from Jesse toward Shalimar. Jesse smiled at Shalimar as he handed his son to her. "Thanks Shal. I'll be there in a minute."

Shalimar nodded, kissing her baby brother's pale cheek. "Take all the time that you want, Jesse. Brennan and I will keep baby Skye occupied."

Jesse nodded, placing a gentle hand against Skyler's head, kissing his forehead softly. "Be good for your aunt and uncle."

"Yes Daddy."

Jesse smiled, waving as Brennan and Shalimar left the room. Adam reached out, touching Jesse's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Can I just have a few minutes alone? I want to watch Emma's message for me."

Adam nodded, squeezing Jesse's shoulder before leaving the lab. Jesse reached out, curling his fingers in indecisively before touched the icon. Emma's face popped up immediately. "My dearest Jesse, if you're watching this, my sister and I can no longer protect our son. That's right my love, our son. As you know, I was a virgin and you were the only man I was ever with. There was no doubt in my mind when I realized I was pregnant whose son it was that I carried. He looks so much like you and for a few months, he was all I had of you. I know you must be asking why I didn't contact you, why I didn't ask for help, but the answer was simple. They had a tracker on me. The bullet they shot me with was a tracking device. I spent my entire pregnancy running from place to place before I finally could get the device out and run one final time. I couldn't bear to have them find Sanctuary, so I stayed away. And I took off my COM ring so that you could not track me and take me back to where I could have been a danger to you all. I still have it, however. I wear it on a chain around my neck so that if I ever need you, I can call you.

"I'm sorry I have hurt you, but everything I have ever done was for your benefit, my own. I am in Cairo, Illinois. I cannot give the exact location in case this falls into the wrong hands, but my sister will apprise you of my location. She's an amazing hacker, but you are still too far out of her league to stumble with the encryption she will no doubt invent to tell you where I am. I love you my dearest, please do not hate me. And I hope to see you and our son soon. Stay safe."

Jesse started to rifle through his son's backpack, coming up with a music CD. Biting his lower lip, he jogged out of the lab and up to the computer console. Inserting it, he instructed the computer to run the CD. A blank MS Dos screen came up. His eyes narrowed and he set to work. Within a matter of thirty minutes, he had decrypted her code and was looking at very concise and precise instructions to Emma. He printed them off and then deleted the encryption, reconfiguring the CD back into a musical CD with no evidence of the data that it had previously housed. Then he leapt down the stairs, taking them two by two and dashed into the kitchen. "I've found her. She's in Cairo, Illinois. I have the exact instructions to her house. We have to go get her before the GSA can get to her."

Adam looked at Brennan. "All right. I want you, Shalimar and Brennan to go, Jess. Skyler can stay here with Grandpa, huh?"

Skyler nodded, smiling around the big mouthful of candy that Adam had obviously handed over to his grandson. Jesse rolled his eyes and kissed his son on the forehead. "We're going to go get momma, okay, Skye? I need you to be very good for your grandpa. Can you do that for daddy?"

"Uh huh. Love you Daddy."

"Love you too, buddy. I'll be back with momma soon."

The little boy nodded, hugging his father before watching him leave. Jesse managed to get to the hanger before his knees buckled. Brennan caught him, holding him tightly. "Are you sure you should be going? Maybe you should stay here and get some rest."

Jesse shook his head. "No. I don't have very long. I'm going to see Emma again before I die."

Shalimar looked at her brother. "You're not going to die, Jess."

Jesse looked at his sister with a small, sad smile. He had never told her that he was sick. He knew she knew that he was ill, but she didn't know that he had cancer. Now was as good a time as any to tell her the truth. "I have end stage cancer, Shal. Unless they can find a miracle cure, I'm going to die. Just get me on board and into a seat. I'll be fine from there."

Shalimar looked at Jesse and then at Brennan, before nodding. "Okay then, let's get the hell out of here."

Jesse sank into a chair in the back before closing his eyes. His eyelids fluttered slightly as he felt the plane lift off the hanger floor, but he was too exhausted to open them completely. He fell asleep and slept the whole way to Cairo. When he woke up, he realized that he couldn't feel his left leg. "Jess, you okay?"

"I can't feel my left leg." Jesse confessed, reaching to grab the console in front of him, dragging himself to his feet. He swayed a bit but steadied. "Come on. We have to get Emma. I want her safe in my arms, and not where the GSA can get a hold of her."

"What are we going to do about Natalie?" Shalimar asked slipping under Jesse's left arm so that he was supported and could walk, albeit with a massive limp.

"We'll worry about Natalie when we get there." Brennan said, taking Jesse's other arm, leading him carefully down the ramp. "For right now, let's worry about getting Emma back into Jesse's arms and return her to her son."

Shalimar nodded and they left the cloaked Helix, walking toward the town nearly half a mile away. They stopped at a drugstore, Brennan going inside to grab a pair of crutches for the heavily hobbling Jesse. "Here Jess. Maybe these will help."

Jesse nodded, slipping the crutches under his arms and hauling himself forward toward the house where Emma was hiding out. When the three teammates arrived at the end of the walk, Shalimar and Brennan remained at the gate as Jesse crutched his way to the front door. Balancing himself on the crutches, he took one hand away to knock on the door. The door opened and there she was. Her hair had gone from its natural brown to a sedate red, but her blue eyes were still the same. They sparkled slightly, utter joy slamming into her as she realized that Jesse Kilmartin was standing on her porch. "Emma." He breathed, starting to sway.

With reflexes like a cat, Emma had Jesse around the waist, using her own body as a buffer as the man she loved collapsed into her arms. His eyes were closed and his head was nestled into his favorite spot between her breasts. Emma's head bent over his head. "Oh Jesse." She whispered, laying one pale cheek against his sunny hair.

Brennan and Shalimar came up. "Emma, look at you, you're beautiful."

"Where's Skyler?"

"He's with Grandpa, no doubt being spoiled to his heart's content."

"How's Jesse?"  
"He has end stage cancer. He doesn't have much time left."

Emma's grip tightened around Jesse, her lips curling into a sad smile as Jesse snuggled closer into her warm body. "That was the only thing that I hated about being in hiding. I was missing all of the time that Jesse was healthy enough to still be with me."

Brennan smiled, bending to lift Jesse into his arms. "Come on, Em, let's go home." Shalimar said, taking her best friend by the hand and leading her after Jesse and Brennan.

As Mutant X was entering the Double Helix, Emma was watching Jesse. Brennan carried the unconscious young man into the very back part of the jet, setting him on the med bed in the back. He pulled the straps over Jesse so that he wouldn't get hurt during take-off and during the flight. Emma sat down in the chair opposite the bed, taking his strong, capable hands into her own delicate ones. Taking her ring off the necklace around her neck, she slipped it onto her finger for the first time in three years and spoke into it. "Adam?"

"Emma? Are you okay?"

"We're coming home, Adam. I'm coming home." Was all she said, before cutting off the connection and focusing her attention on Jesse.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-

When Jesse woke up several hours later, he was confused at the strange, but seemingly familiar presence of someone in his bed. He looked over and saw a pair of loving blue eyes watching silently. "Emma." He breathed, pulling her into his arms. "I thought I'd dreamed it all."

Emma shook her head, stroking Jesse's cheek. "Look at you. You should have stayed at home. I would have seen you the second I came in the door."

Jesse shook his head, touching a thin hand to her cheek. "No. I don't think I'm going to last much longer. I can feel myself physically weakening. My body isn't working the way I want it to."

Emma sighed, resting her forehead against Jesse's chest. "Jesse, Adam and I were talking earlier and we think we have an idea to save you."

Jesse wrapped his arms around her, holding her as tightly as his weak body could manage. "I don't think it'll work, but tell me your idea."

"Skyler is a molecular-psionic. He has the power to heal. He can make the tumor in your body go away. The only problem is that he is too young."

"Well that's a problem. By the time he's old enough, I don't think I'll be alive."

Emma bit her lip and then spoke quietly. "Not if we put you in stasis until he was old enough."

Jesse physically jerked. "You mean like a pod? Absolutely not!" he shouted, enraged and terrified. His biggest fear was being held captive in a Genomex pod.

"Jess, listen to me. I can't let you die. I won't let you die. Adam built pods for Sanctuary, in the event that someone found Sanctuary and tried to break in. It would be the best way for the five of us to be safe. Our thinking is this. We'll put you in a pod for at least two years. The brain is active when in stasis. I could connect easily with you on a tele-empathic level and I could talk to you everyday. Tell you about the day, how Skyler is doing. And when Skye is four, which Adam says is when he'll be old enough, we let you out and have Skye remove the cancer from your body. If you're in stasis, the cancer can't progress. Which means that you'll live longer than if you're out here, going about your everyday life."

Jesse's arms tightened. "You really want this?"

"I don't want to loose you, Jesse. And this is the best way that Adam and I know how to save you. Please, you don't have to answer yet, but at least think about it. I love you too much to just let you die. You are the man I love more than life and the father of my son. I can't let you go. I won't let you go."

Jesse nodded, pulling this beautiful woman down to him. "All right. I'll think about it and let you know in a bit. Will that work?"

Emma nodded and hugged him. Jesse squeezed her tightly and then let her go. "Why don't you go get our son? I can't leave the bed for the moment and I would like to see him again."

Emma nodded with a fond smile. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." She teased, kissing him passionately and lingeringly.

Jesse chuckled, whispering against her lips. "I'm not going anywhere." He laughed kissing her once again.

Emma smiled at Jesse's attempt to lighten the mood before running to get their son. Jesse laid back against his pillows, his eyes closing as time crept past. Skyler was playing in the lab by Adam's feet as Adam work on an experiment to help Jesse beat the cancer. Skyler looked up as Emma came in. "Momma!" he giggled, clapping his hands together loudly.

Emma rushed over, taking her son's hands between her own. "Hello, my little frog. Do you want to go see Daddy?"

Skyler perked up at the now familiar word. "Daddy?"

"Yes, my wee froggy, Daddy. But you have to be quiet okay? Daddy's sick and he's very tired."

Brendan's hand came over his mouth, looking massively innocent. "Quiet as a lamb." Skyler whispered, his eyes wide and sincere. "Skyler loves Daddy."

"Momma loves Daddy." She murmured, pressing a kiss to her son's forehead.

Adam looked at Emma with a pair of sparkling eyes. "How is he? Did you tell him our idea?"

Emma nodded, smoothing Skyler's hair. "Yes. He said he'd think about it. And now we'll just have to wait for him to make his decision."

Adam nodded and squeezed Emma's shoulder. "It's good to have you home, Emma. It's been very empty without you and your laughter here."

Emma smiled with a sad smile. "It's good to be home." She murmured, kissing Adam's cheek and leaving the room with her son in her arms.

Jesse's eyes crept open as Emma opened the door to his room. "Em?" he murmured, struggling to keep his eyes open.

Emma set Skyler on the bed and then crawled up to Jesse's head. "I'm here, Jesse. I'm here, my love. I brought you our son."

Jesse's head rolled to look at the beautiful blonde boy at the foot of the bed. "Come here, Skye. I'm okay. You won't hurt me."

Skyler, having been waiting for some permission, scrambled to sit by his father's side. "Skyler loves Daddy."

Jesse smiled, raising one hand to touch his son's face. "Daddy loves Skyler." He whispered his back arching almost imperceptibly against a sudden attack of pain.

However, Emma caught the action. She took his hand and squeezed it as his hand clenched tightly around hers. "Do you need me to go get some painkillers from Adam?"

Jesse nodded, his eyes closing quickly to try and blink away his tears. "Please."

Emma nodded and kissed his forehead. She leaned over and kissed Skyler's cheek. "Stay here with Daddy and look after him for Momma okay?"

"Ok Momma." Skyler said, curling up under Jesse's armpit, cuddled into his side.

Jesse's arm tightened imperceptibly around the tiny body, holding him close to him. "We'll be okay, Emma, Skyler will take good care of me."

Emma smiled at the view of father and son and left the room, rushing for the lab where Adam was tinkering around. "Adam! Jesse's in a lot of pain. I was wondering if you could give me some painkillers for him."

"I gave him the strongest stuff I have. Do you think he'll consent to morphine? It'll make him groggy and I know he hates it."

"I don't think that we have any other choice. You said yourself, the pills he has are the strongest you've got. Morphine is the last option." Emma said, taking the offered syringe of morphine. "Thanks Adam."

Adam nodded and watched as she ran from the lab, headed toward Jesse's room at top speed. When she arrived, she smiled at the scene in front of her. Skyler was sleeping, curled against his father. Jesse was watching his son with a look of awe on his features, one frail hand stroking the hair from his son's face. Emma came to the bed and touched Jesse's cheek. "Adam sent you some morphine." Jesse only nodded, displaying his inner arm. "No argument?" Emma teased, her nose crinkling in amusement. "You hate morphine."

Jesse nodded, looking up at her in exhaustion. "I know, but Adam wouldn't have sent it unless there was nothing else."

Emma touched his face, slipping the needle into his arm. Jesse flinched, turning his head to the side. "I love you, Emma DeLauro." He murmured, taking her hand and pulling her into the curve of his body.

"I love you Jesse Kilmartin." She whispered against his lips before kissing him, slow and deep.

Jesse's body relaxed noticeably as the morphine began to work. "Emma, could I ask you something?"

Emma looked up at him and nodded. "Of course, Jess, you can ask me anything."

"I look at our son and could never imagine doing to him what my father did to me; manipulate me, ignore me. So why did my father use me so?"

"I don't know, Jesse. I only know that he didn't deserve a son as wonderful as you. You are perfect and your father is the one who will have to suffer with the knowledge that he wasn't a good father to you. But you don't need him. You grew up to be a wonderful human being, regardless of the father who bore you. Adam raised you into a good man. Adam has been the only father that you need to remember."

Jesse nodded and snuggled into his girlfriend's side. "Emma?"

"Hmm?" she asked, shifting his head into his place between her breasts, brushing the shaggy blonde hair away from his eyes.

"If you want me to, I'll be put into stasis. I'll do anything to stay with you longer."

Emma bowed her head over him, pressing soft lips to his forehead. "Are you sure?" she asked, giving him the chance to back out.

"I'm sure. I don't want to loose you. And I don't want someone else to be my son's father. I want to be my son's father. I want to raise him as my father never raised me."

Emma smiled and hugged him close, reveling in the feel of both of her boys in her arms for the first time. "All right, Jesse. Just get some sleep and I'll go tell Adam."

Jesse nodded, his eyes slipping closed. "I just want 24 hours to say goodbye and I'll go into stasis."

Emma nodded again and tightened her arms around him. "Anything you want my love. Get some rest."

Jesse sighed and held Skyler close before following their son into the pleasant world of dreams. Emma slipped out from underneath him and padded from the room. She dressed in pajamas and then went to the lab, a robe held tightly around her. "Adam?" she asked, entering the lab quietly.

Adam turned to look at her. "Emma? What's wrong? Did the morphine not work?"

"Nothing's wrong, Adam, the morphine worked just fine. He didn't even argue with it. He and our son are asleep."

"All right, what's going on? I know you. There's something weighing heavily on your mind."

Emma sat down on the scan chair, folding her hands in her lap. "He's agreed to go into stasis."

"So soon? Are you sure? This is Jesse. He hates the pods."

"I know. But he wants to raise Skyler the way his father didn't raise him."

"Of course, it would be Skyler that was affecting his decision the most. Jesse always wanted a son to lavish the attention on that his father never showed him."

Emma sat back. "24 hours and he'll go into stasis. But he wants to say goodbye to some people first, as well as spend some time with Skyler."

Adam nodded and turned to a wall, punching in a quick code. The wall slid away, revealing five Genomex pods. Ignoring four, he moved toward one and began to set it up for occupancy. Emma leaned back on the chair, watching with a sort of detached air. "Will he really be okay?"

"Yes, Emma, he'll really be okay. Not to mention, he'll be able to talk to you whenever he wants."

"What? Jesse isn't a psionic. How could he talk to me whenever he wants to?"

"I've created a chip which will connect your powers to Jesse. If he feels lonely, he can activate the chip with certain brain waves and you'll get a tele-empathic signal from the chip. It's more for his own reassurance than yours. I want to make sure that he doesn't panic and then start to fight the pod."

"Has Jesse ever undergone chemotherapy?" Emma asked, curious about the process of Jesse's cancer.

"No, he didn't want to. And even though he was 14 when he first got sick, I couldn't exactly tell him that he had to take chemo. However, I did trick him occasionally into undergoing radiation therapy. And he's taken steroids since he was 16 to help keep his strength up."

Emma nodded and then stood. "Well, I'm gonna head back to bed. I don't think that I should leave the two boys alone."

Adam nodded, smiling at his daughter. "Good night, Emma. Stay close to Jesse okay? He was serious when he said that he couldn't leave the bed."  
"I know." Emma said with a sad smile before turning and leaving the lab.

She passed the Dojo and smiled. Jesse had once told her that her strength was in her mind and that she should focus on her mental exercises. But he'd apologized, albeit with some help, after she'd successfully stomped on his and Brennan's butts. And from then on, until she'd disappeared, they'd bounced off of each other. He helped her learn to kick butt and he taught her everything he could teach her about computers. Emma had taught him to meditate, so that he was better able to handle his illness and the sharp flux in his powers. Once, late one night when everyone was in their beds and they couldn't sleep, they'd even made love on its crescent floor. That was the night Skyler had been conceived.

She entered Jesse's room and smiled at her two sleeping boys. Skyler was curled close to his father for warmth, his tiny thumb in his mouth. Jesse had his arm around his son, holding him close, his head turned to the side to look at him. Emma just chuckled and then climbed into the empty spot on the bed next to Jesse. Jesse stirred, his eyes opening to look up at her. "Hey." He whispered with a small smile.

"Hey yourself." She whispered back. "Go back to sleep. I'll still be here in the morning."  
Jesse nodded, shifting his head to his favorite place between her breasts. "I don't know what I would do without you, Emma."

"Hush, Jess. Just get some more sleep. You have a long day tomorrow."

Jesse nodded again and drifted off to sleep once more. Emma started to run her fingers through his hair, struggling to remain awake so that she could enjoy the time she had with him. Her body wouldn't cooperate and she finally fell asleep around three in the morning.

The next day, Jesse hauled himself into a wheelchair and shivered quietly, until Emma picked up on his discomfort and draped a blanket around him. "Better?" she asked, speaking so that only he could hear her.

"Much." He replied, reaching over and lifting a yawning Skyler into his lap.

Skyler squawked a bit before snuggling into his father's lap. Emma gripped the handles and then wheeled him to the common room. Brennan and Shalimar were watching a movie, which immediately went off as the trio came into the room. Shalimar was up and next to her little brother so quickly it was hard to tell that she'd even been sitting down. "Jesse, shouldn't you be in bed?"  
"No, I'll be sleeping for the next two years."

"What?" Brennan asked, watching as Emma wheeled him up next to the armchair.

She locked the wheels and then sat in the chair next to him. "I'm going into stasis tomorrow morning. Adam installed pods in Sanctuary. I'm going to be occupying one as of tomorrow."

"You hate pods."

"I know. But it's the only way to keep me alive long enough for the cure to become effective."

"Cure?" Shalimar asked, excited. She had been worrying like crazy since Jesse had told her about his cancer.

"Yeah. My son has a healing touch. But he won't be strong enough to get rid of the cancer until he's four years old. So I'm going to enter stasis so that I can stay alive until Skyler gets old enough to cure me."

"So you're going to willingly put yourself into your worst fear?"

Jesse nodded. "I want to raise my own son. I want to marry Emma. I want to have more children, and give Skyler brothers and sisters. I can't do that if I'm dead."

Brennan nodded and sat back on the couch, one arm behind Shalimar. "I expect you to look after my sister and girlfriend, Brennan."

Brennan locked eyes with Jesse and saw the determination in aquamarine depths. "You got it, man. I'll protect them both with my life. And I'll make sure your son stays safe as well."

Jesse nodded, squeezing Skyler tightly glad he hadn't had to explain his concern for his son. Skyler giggled, squirming slightly in an attempt to get away from his daddy's tight grip. Emma smiled at the two and prayed silently that they would have a lot more time like this when Jesse was free of the pod and free of the cancer as well.


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own this. If you recognize this, I didn't create it.

Hey guys. New chapter. Finally. Sorry for the wait. :)

**Chapter 3-**

**Jesse spent his last day talking to his grandfather, spending time playing with Skyler and enjoying his time with Brennan and Shalimar. And that night, Adam put Skyler's crib in his room and let Emma and Jesse spend their last night together. They made love slowly and easily, going at a pace that satisfied them both but allowed for Jesse's weakened state. When the euphoria faded and they both came down from their emotional highs, Jesse lay in Emma's arms and started to cry. "Jesse, what's wrong?" Emma asked, looking concerned and frightened. **

"**I'm gonna miss you so much, Emma." Jesse confessed, hiccupping slightly on her name. **

"**I'm gonna miss you too, Jesse, but we'll see each other sooner than you think. I promise." Jesse nodded and moved closer to her. "I love you, Jesse Kilmartin. Never forget that. And I'll be here waiting with Skyler for you to get out of your pod. And then we'll be a family, all right. Just you, me and Skyler."**

**Jesse sighed, closing his eyes. "I love you Emma. See you in the morning?"**

"**Absolutely." Emma whispered with a small smile and fond sparkles in her eyes. **

**Jesse snuggled close to her warmth and then fell into an easy and peaceful sleep. Emma closed her eyes and then slipped into sleep right behind him. The next morning found Jesse sitting on the scan chair, watching dispassionately as Adam checked his vitals and hooked him up to a whole series of monitors. "Are you sure about this, Jess?"**

"**I'm sure." He breathed, clenching one hand at the sight of the pod where he'd be spending the next two years. "I don't want to die and leave Emma behind. And if staying in that pod will make sure of that, then I'll spend the next two years in that piece of trash."**

**Emma came in, carrying Skyler and leading his other two teammates into the lab. Jesse smiled, grimacing as an IV slipped into the back of his left hand. "Hey." He murmured, accepting his son as Skyler reached for him. "What's the matter buddy?"**

"**Skyler doesn't want Daddy to go." Skyler said around his thumb, sniffling. **

**Emma grabbed a tissue and handed it to Jesse as Skyler's nose began to run. Jesse held the tissue to his son's nose, instructing him to "Blow." Skyler blew his nose obediently and Jesse wiped his nose before tossing the tissue into the trash. "Skye, Daddy has to go to sleep, but only for a little while. And Momma can bring you to see me whenever you want."**

"**Promise?" Skyler asked, looking so heartbroken by the whole situation that Jesse just wanted to cry. **

"**I promise, buddy. Daddy loves you."**

"**Skyler loves Daddy." He sniffled before throwing his arms around Jesse's neck and squeezing tightly, pressing a noisy kiss to his daddy's cheek. **

**Jesse kissed Skyler's grubby cheek and then handed him to his mother. Shalimar came forward and hugged Jesse tightly. "We'll see you soon, okay? Just remember that."**

**Jesse nodded, yielding his forehead to his sister's affectionate kiss. Brennan slapped his best friend's shoulder, displaying what Shalimar and Emma called, "Manly Affection". Jesse smiled, brushing his hair away from his face. "See you kid." Brennan said with a burly sort of warmth. **

"**You got it." Jesse said, before Adam helped him stand. **

**Adam had added braces to his legs so that he could at least walk with some help. Emma handed Skyler to Shalimar and slipped under her boyfriend's arm so that she could brace him on the short walk to the pod. Jesse hesitated for only a moment before he climbed in and started to tug off his shirt, laying back once his chest was bare. Emma held his hand as Adam fastened the electrodes and heart monitor to the flesh. "You okay, Jess?" he asked quietly, strapping his left hand to the platform next to him so that he wouldn't disrupt the IV. **

**Jesse nodded silently, keeping his eyes on Emma. "All right then. Emma, say your goodbyes and then we'll close the pod."**

**Emma nodded and leaned over, pressing a gentle kiss to her soul mate's lips. "I love you. And this is not goodbye. This is merely until we meet again." She murmured, squeezing his hand tightly. **

**Jesse nodded, "I love you." **

**Emma reached toward the bottom of the pod and pulled the thermal blanket up over his frail form, hiding the sunken stomach and protruding ribs. "I'll be right here. Just watch me through the glass. I promise I'll be the last thing you see before you fall asleep."**

**Jesse nodded, squeezing her hand once more before releasing it. Emma helped Adam slide the lid over Jesse. Emma reached out with her abilities as she felt Jesse start to panic. _Jesse, you're okay. I'm here. _She murmured, looking down at him through the glass. _Just watch me. I won't let anything happen to you, I swear. _**

**Jesse looked up at her and then reached up with his right hand, pressing his palm and fingers flat to the glass. The tears that Emma had been trying to hide started to spill over as she laid her hand directly over his, fingers and palms perfectly matched against the glass. Adam was over at the computer console and spoke, "I'm gonna give him the sedative to put him into stasis now."**

**Emma nodded, her eyes locked on Jesse's. Adam pushed a button, causing a clear fluid to start flowing through the IV, spilling into his body. Jesse's eyes started to slide closed and before he fell asleep, his lips moved one last time. "Emma."**

**Emma started to sob in earnest as she felt him fall into a stasis sleep. His hand fell almost in slow motion until it rested across his chest. Emma dropped her head onto the glass, trying to contain her tears for her son's sake. Jesse's still and silent features proved too much for her and she got up, dashing from the lab, headed for the pond. Brennan moved to go after her, but Adam grabbed his arm first. "No. Leave her. She'll be fine. She's just overwhelmed. I don't think she realized that this was going to hurt as much as it did."  
**

"**He's alive. How the hell can this hurt her?" Shalimar snapped.**

"**I know. But it was probably too soon. She's been gone for nearly three years. She comes back and suddenly, Jesse's just too sick to stay with her any longer. The only thing to do was to put him in stasis until their son could save him. When all is said and done, it'll be nearly five years before they'll have been together like they used to be."**

**Brennan and Shalimar nodded, Shalimar's arms tightening around a crying Skyler. His daddy was sleeping and his momma was hurting. He wiggled free of Shalimar and ran, following his momma's pain and letting it lead him to her. "Momma?" he asked, seeing her. **

**Emma was sprawled across the platform, sobbing heartbreakingly. Skyler came over and smoothed her hair back. "Daddy's sleeping?"**

**Emma sat up, pulling her son into her lap. "Yes, baby, Daddy's sleeping."**

"**Is he gonna wake up?"**

"**Not for a long time. Daddy's really sick, baby. And so he's going to be sleeping until you can help him."**

"**Like I helped Auntie Natty?"**

"**Yeah, like you helped Auntie Natty. Come on, baby, it's time for a certain little boy's naptime."**

**Skyler nodded, resting his head on his momma's shoulder as she stood with him still in her arms. She carried him into Jesse's room and laid him into his crib. "Good night, baby."**

"**Night momma." Skyler said with a big yawn, before he fell asleep, his thumb securely in his mouth. **

**Emma squared her shoulders and moved back toward the lab. "Where's my sister, Natalie?"  
**

"**The GSA has her. We've already outlined a plan to get her back."**

**Emma nodded and moved toward her boyfriend's pod. "Jesse's sleeping and safe for the moment. And so, now we need to get my sister back safe."**

**Adam nodded and started to relay the plan to Emma. Emma listened, contributing to the plan as well as she could. "All right then, I think that it's time to go kick some Genomex butt. They kept me from Jesse for three years. And I need to work off my fury."**

**Adam nodded and sent Brennan and Shalimar to get ready to go. "Emma, I need to talk to you for a moment."**

**Emma looked back and immediately knew what the problem was. "You need to replace Jesse."**

"**Not permanently. Just until he's out of pod. And I know the perfect people. They hate Ekhardt even more than you do. They're twins, Leo and Lexa Pierce. Both could be valuable, and if they decided to stay after Jesse is better, it wouldn't be a bad thing." Adam admitted, knowing that Emma would need to be the one to convince. Her loyalty to Jesse was unmatched.**

**Emma looked at the wall, trying to decide what she thought. "Can I think about it for a little while?"**

"**Sure, Emma. Just get back to me when you can."**

**Emma nodded and kissed the top of the pod before leaving the room. She changed and then met Brennan and Shalimar in the Double Helix. She slipped into the pilot's seat and took off, needing the distraction to take her mind off of Jesse and his enforced slumber. Setting the Helix down, she shut it down, cloaking it from outside eyes. She grabbed a black leather trench-coat from the chair and slipped her arms into it. Brennan and Shalimar exchanged amused looks and then followed a determined and equally furious Emma down the ramp. Brennan and Shalimar turned to look at Emma, knowing that her connection with her twin sister was their best bet to locate one Natalie DeLauro. "She's this way." Emma said, pursuing the sense of her sister. **

**Brennan and Shalimar followed, keeping an eye open for any Genomex agents. Emma stopped outside a door and gestured. "She's in there."**

**Brennan nodded and looked at the lock for a moment before sending a bolt of tightly controlled electricity at it. The lock sprung, and Brennan kicked the door down. Emma and Shalimar followed him into the room, Emma crossing to the woman crumpled on the floor. "Natty?" she asked, coming to her sister's side. **

"**Emma?" came a weak voice as the body heaved upright. **

"**Yeah Natalie. I'm here. Just rest. Brennan, can you carry her?"**

**Brennan came over and gently lifted the woman into his arms. "Piece of cake."**

**Emma nodded and followed Shalimar from the room, Brennan taking up the rear. Shalimar stopped, looking around. "This is too easy." **

**Emma looked up just as eleven Genomex agents appeared in front of them. "Brennan get my sister to the Helix."**

"**But…."  
**

"**Go now, Brennan. We'll be there soon." Shalimar ordered, her eyes flashing feral yellow. **

**Emma took a few steps back and got into a ready stance. "You know what they say about payback?" she asked the leering man in front of her. **

"**That payback is a bitch." He hissed as he attacked the red-head. **

**Emma sneered, neatly knocking him back. "Yeah, well I'm the bitch."**

**Brennan managed to escape the agents and carried Natalie into the Helix. "Emma! Shal! We're at the Helix. Get here now." **

The two women examined their surroundings, grinning at the downed agents. "That was nicely done, Shal." Emma said, with a laugh as she jogged toward the Helix.

"**I have to say that right back. You kick booty girl."  
**

"**Thanks. Come on. We need to get Natalie back to Adam." She said, dashing up the ramp and into the Helix. **

**Adam was waiting for them in the hanger when the Helix landed. "Do you have her?"  
**

"**Yep. It was a piece of cake." Brennan said, lifting the injured woman and carrying her out of the belly of the plane. **

**Shalimar laughed, following. "And can I just say that Emma kicked some serious Genomex butt?"**

"**It wasn't that big of a deal, Shal. I was just working off some frustration."**

"**And punishing them for keeping you away from Jesse for nearly three years had nothing to do with it?" Adam asked, with a teasing smile. **

**Emma tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "Maybe a little." was her only answer to the good-natured teasing.**

"**Come on, bring her to the lab and we'll check her out." Adam said with a fond smile before he led the way to the lab.**


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own this. If you recognize this, I didn't create it.

AN: Kindly words for my kindly reviewers.

AliasFan-MutantKitty: That is the most unique penname I've ever read. Cool! Here's the next chapter. Only a few more to go.

Mxfan214, Delauro, Emma, melodie568, Molecular 12: Thanx! I'm glad you like it.

BJVision: Didn't have to wait too long. I hope you like this.

**Chapter 4-**

**Leo and Lexa Pierce arrived the next day. And their first meeting was with none other than Skyler Kilmartin. He came running from the common room, laughing loudly, trying to get away from his Uncle Brennan who was trying to tickle him. Immediately a scream went up as he ran pell-mell into Lexa's legs. He fell back, howling his confusion. **

**Emma came running around the corner from the lab at her son's scream. "Skyler? What's wrong baby? Tell Momma what's wrong?"**

**Skyler continued to scream just burying his face in his momma's shoulder. "Skyler wants Daddy!" he screamed, tightening his grip around her neck. **

**Emma's face crumpled and she stood, bouncing him gently to try and calm him. "Daddy's sleeping, baby. But it's okay, Momma's here. You're all right, just tell momma what's wrong."**

**The rest of the Mutant X team had come running at the little boy's shriek. Adam smiled at the sight of the Pierce twins. "Hello Lexa. Leo, how are you?"**

**Leo smiled at the scientist. "Hello, Dr. Kane. Thank you for calling us."**

**Adam turned to look at the other team members. Emma didn't look surprised, she had known they were coming, however Brennan and Shalimar looked about ready to attack. "Brennan, Shalimar, this is Leo and Lexa Pierce. They're twins and they're going to be filling out the team until Jesse is back on his feet."**

**Shalimar glared at Adam and stormed from the hallway, headed toward her own room. Brennan nodded his head sagely at the two new members before running after her. Emma shifted her son onto one hip, before holding out a hand. "Hi, I'm Emma Kilmartin. This is my son, Skyler."**

**Adam turned to look at Emma, shocked at her use of Jesse's name as her own. "Emma?"**

"**He's going to marry me when he wakes up so why prolong the inevitable?" Emma answered, knowing what had shocked the scientist. **

**Adam shrugged. It was sound logic and what's more, it was true. Emma even had Jesse's COM ring on a chain around her neck so that she could keep something of him close to her. "All right, Emma, why don't you show Leo and Lexa where their rooms are?"**

"**Okay. Can you take Skye? I was on my way to spend some time with Natalie and talk to Jesse when Skyler screamed."**

"**Sure. How about it, Skyler? You want to spend some time with Grandpa?"**

**Skyler giggled, his earlier fear forgotten as he leaned over toward his grandfather. "Grandpa." He giggled, sucking his thumb happily. **

**Emma turned toward the twins. "If you'll come with me, I'll show you around Sanctuary."**

**Leo turned to Lexa and nodded in response to his sister's hand on his arm. _Come on, Leo. It'll be okay, I promise._ Was the telepathic thought that Emma picked up from Lexa toward her brother. **

**Not wanting to interrupt the two, Emma merely turned her back and moved down the hall. She chose the two empty rooms across from hers and Jesse's. "These are your rooms. All the rooms on this side of the hall are occupied." She said, before stopping outside of Jesse's room. "Except this one."**

"**Why aren't we in that one then?"**

"**That's Jesse's room. I'm the only one who ever goes into that room anymore. It's strictly off limits to anyone else."**

**Lexa and Leo nodded as they entered their rooms, arguing telepathically about which one they wanted. Emma leaned back against the door to Jesse's room, sighing happily as the images of what they had done behind this door began to flood her mind. Jesse's chip activated and Emma could feel his mind reaching out for hers. She closed her eyes, reaching out to soothe him. _Soon, Jesse, I'll be there soon. We have some new teammates that need to be settled in and then I'll be there to talk to you. I love you baby._**

**Jesse's answer was quiet but curious. _I love you Em. Come to me soon, please._**

**Emma smiled and sent her boyfriend a tele-empathic caress before pulling away from him as Lexa and Leo exited the room. "Come on and I'll show you around."**

**Leo took his sister's hand tightly as Emma started to lead them around. Finally the only place to show them was the lab. Leo cocked his head at the sight of Natalie lying on the scanning chair. "Who is that?"**

"**That is my twin sister, Natalie. We rescued her from Genomex yesterday."**

**Lexa shrank back as she noticed the occupied pod by the wall. "You have pods in here? Adam didn't tell me that."**

"**We have pods for emergencies. Jesse's illness is an emergency."**

**Leo looked at the occupant of the pod. "That's Jesse Kilmartin? The man we're replacing?"**

"**Yes. That's my husband-to-be. He has cancer and my son, our son, Skyler can heal him. But Skyler is too young to control his powers. So Jesse and I agreed to have Adam put him in stasis until Skyler is old enough to heal his father. I come here everyday to see him and to connect with him tele-empathically. It's so he doesn't fight the pod." Emma said, taking a seat on the floor and running her fingers over the glass covering Jesse's pale features. **

**Lexa sat next to her, watching her closely. "You really love him, don't you?"**

"**I love him more than I love my own life. He was the reason I ran for three years. I didn't want anything to happen to him so when Genomex shot me with a tracker, I disconnected my COM ring, knowing that he couldn't follow me and put himself in harm's way. He didn't even know he had a son until nearly four days ago."**

**Leo squeezed both girls' shoulders. "I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Emma."**

"**Please, just Emma. Jesse will wake up in two years and he'll be healthy and I'll be able to hold him in my arms again."**

**Leo nodded, touching his sister's shoulder. "We'll leave you alone. I'm sure you want to spend some time with him and your sister without people you don't know crowding you."**

**Emma looked up at the man with kind eyes and smiled. "Thank you, Leo. I appreciate your consideration."**

**Leo nodded with a shrug and moved away, his sister following him closely. Lexa looked up at Leo as they exited the lab. "What are you thinking, Leo?"**

"**I'm thinking that it may not be so bad here. At least people won't experiment on me." Leo said with a small smile. Lexa smiled wanly in return and then they walked away toward their own rooms. **

**Emma closed her eyes and entered Jesse's mind. "Jess?"**

**Almost out of nowhere, Jesse materialized and attacked her, putting himself under her as they fell to the floor of the world they created together. "Hey." He said, leaning up to kiss her nose.**

"**Hi." She murmured, readjusting to catch his lips. "Are you okay?"**

"**I think so. I don't mind it so much now. The chip in my head can get a hold of you whenever I want to talk to you. You come to see me even if I haven't tried to connect with you. Skyler comes to see me whenever he thinks you won't know. I'm okay."**

"**That's good." She said, with a soft smile. "I love you Jesse."  
**

"**I love you Emma Kilmartin." He said, teasing her gently. **

**Emma jerked. "You know?"**

"**Of course. I figured you'd take my name as soon as I went into stasis. I don't mind. I like the way it sounds. Emma DeLauro Kilmartin. Yeah, I could live with that."**

**Emma giggled, kissing him. "I'm glad you approve."**

**Jesse sobered, conjuring up a wall behind the two in his head, before sitting up and leaning back against it with Emma still in his arms. "How's Natalie?"**

"**We retrieved her from the GSA yesterday. She's unconscious, but Adam says she should wake up soon. Leo and Lexa Pierce showed up today."**

"**And who are they?"**

"**They're twins. Adam recruited them to replace you until you get out of this nasty old pod. Lexa is a light elemental, according to her file and Leo can take on different forms. I'm not quite sure what he is."**

"**He's a multiple." Jesse said, supplying the term almost nonchalantly. "I'd heard about them, but I didn't know that they existed."**

"**Well, apparently they do because Leo Pierce is one."**

"**How are you handling everything? Me in this pod, two new teammates, Skyler?"**

"**I don't know. I miss you like crazy, but then I remember that you're in here so that you can stay alive for our son. Leo and Lexa seem okay, they're very protective of each other, but that's normal. And Skyler is so much like his daddy some times I just want to start to cry."**

**Jesse nodded, tightening his hold on her. They both looked up as they heard Adam's voice. "Emma? I know you're in Jesse's head, but there's a situation and I need you."**

**Emma shook her head against Jesse's chest, but found that he was fading. "Jesse? No."**

"**Go Emma. I'll see you again soon. I love you." He murmured, stroking her cheek with increasingly faint caresses. **

"**I love you." She replied as he disappeared. **

**Opening her eyes, she found herself in the lab, seated on the floor next to the pod. She reached up, wiping her eyes, before standing with Brennan's help. "Okay, what's up?"**

"**How's Jesse?" Adam asked with a sympathetic smile.**

"**He's dealing. He says it's not as bad as it was when Genomex actually had him. What's going on?"  
**

**Adam, seeing that she didn't want to talk, turned to the computer behind him. Emma leaned into Brennan as Adam started to relay the details of the mission. After the briefing was done, Emma left the rest of the team to get ready to go. As she was leaving she heard Adam murmured softly, "We miss you Jesse. Sleep well."**


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own this. If you recognize this, I didn't create it.

AN: Kindly words for my kindly reviewers.

AliasFan-MutantKitty: That is the most unique penname I've ever read. Cool! Here's the next chapter. Only a few more to go.

Mxfan214, Delauro, Emma, melodie568, Molecular 12: Thanx! I'm glad you like it.

BJVision: Didn't have to wait too long. I hope you like this.

**Chapter 5- **

**For nearly 6 months, Emma managed to hide her new secret, but at last Jesse was able to figure it out. She came into his head and as was custom, he attacked, pinning her to the floor as he kissed her. Then his face changed as something kicked him in the stomach. "My God. You're pregnant."**

**Emma nodded, kissing him again. "I can't believe it. You're pregnant. Is it a boy or a girl?"**

"**It's a little girl." She said with a smile. "What do you want to name it?"**

**Jesse shimmied down her astral form and kissed her slightly protruding belly. "I think I want to name her Dai, Dai Marie."**

"**Dai Marie Kilmartin." She murmured, running her fingers through his hair. "I like it. All right then, Dai Marie it shall be."**

"**Good. How long have you known?"**

"**For about 3 months. I've even managed to keep it from Adam. I wanted to tell you first, but now I think I'm going to have to tell Adam. And the rest of the guys." Emma said, kissing Jesse's temple as he moved his head to lay between her breasts once again. "How are you, my love?"**

"**I think that I'm okay. But I think it's kind of open to interpretation. As much I love our little sojourns into my head, I miss having a physical form and holding you throughout the night."**

"**I miss that too, but it won't be very much longer. Just another year and a half. And it'll be over before you know it."  
**

"**How's Skyler?"**

"**He's okay. He's growing so fast. I asked Adam if it was normal for his appetite to suddenly becoming all-consuming. He just laughed and said that with you as a father, I shouldn't be surprised."**

**Jesse just laughed before sighing quietly. "I wish I could be there when you had our daughter."**

"**I know, me too. But you'll be out soon and you can hold her all you want then."**

"**Promise?"**

"**I promise with cherries on top." She said with a small smile. "Now I have to go. Adam has to give Skyler a check-up and you know how well those go over."**

"**Oh yeah. I'll talk to you tomorrow?"  
**

"**You know it. I love you Jesse."  
**

"**I love you too Emma." He said, before releasing her and letting her wake back up. **

**Emma opened her eyes, looking up to see Adam looking down at her with a small smile. "Morning glory." He teased, reaching to help her up. **

"**Morning Adam. So, Skyler's check-up huh?"**

"**Yep, Skyler first and then his Uncle Brennan."**

"**Oh great. The gruesome twosome."  
**

**Adam just laughed and released her, both of them going to pin down and corner the two stubborn boys into the lab. **

**Emma went into labor nearly two months later. She came running into the lab, panting heavily, clutching her belly. Brennan was struggling with Shalimar, trying to get her to sit still for the physical that Adam was trying to put her through. "Adam!" she called, before falling to her knees with a scream. "Oh God, it's not supposed to hurt this much." She sobbed, bowing over and hugging her stomach tightly. **

**Adam and Brennan both left off of trying to control Shalimar, coming to Emma's side immediately. "Emma? What's wrong?"**

"**It hurts." She moaned, blacking out in Brennan's arms. **

"**Get her in the chair. I have to scan her." Adam ordered, moving to his computer and muttering, "Jesse will never forgive me if she dies."**

**Brennan laid her in the chair, stepping back as the yellow light came down to scan her body. Adam's jaw dropped as he read the results. "My God, she's pregnant. And she's in labor."**

**Brennan backed up rapidly at the sound before turning to Jesse's pod. "Damn, he's got two children. Did you know about this, Adam?"**

"**I didn't know she was pregnant, although I imagine that Jesse knew. He always knew when something was up with Emma. And the same with her. Brennan, go get Lexa. Shal, I'm going to need you and Lexa's help with her. Brennan, you and Leo need to distract Skyler. I don't want him to come running in to rescue his momma. Take him to the zoo or something."  
**

**Brennan nodded and ran to send Lexa to the lab and find Leo and Skyler. Leo and Brennan snatched Skyler from his toys, carrying him out to a car and driving away. Lexa and Shalimar helped Adam as best as they could. **

**Several hours later, an exhausted and emotionally drained Emma lay on the chair, listening to her children scream. She had only been able to detect her psionic-feral daughter, Dai Marie, but they also had a molecular-elemental son. Closing her eyes, she connected with Jesse. **

**Jesse was standing still. He could sense Emma, but she was weak and he couldn't see her. "Emma?"**

"**I'm here, Jesse. You have a daughter and a son. You said you wanted to name the girl Dai, what about the boy?"**

"**Name him Nyght, Nyght Lee."**

"**You got it. I love you and I'll be back when I'm stronger."**

"**I love you Emma. I can't wait to see you again."**

"**Me either. I'll see you soon." She whispered before she faded from his head. **

**Jesse, worried by her weakness, but elated about the birth of his son and daughter, sank back against the wall. "Thank you for my children." He murmured, closing his eyes in hoping that she would somehow be able to hear his heartfelt prayer.**

**When Emma woke up, she smiled at Shalimar, who was sitting in a chair beside her bed. "Hey Shalimar, how are you?"**

"**I'm fine. You should have told us."**

**Emma had the grace to look abashed. "I know. But we needed everyone we could spare. Natalie was still healing and the Pierce twins are a valuable commodity, but without Jesse, we needed everyone."**

"**I know why you did it, just don't expect Brennan and me to let you out of our sights for awhile. Or out of Sanctuary for that matter."**

**Emma just blushed, laughing. "All right, Shal. I won't."**

"**So what are you going to name them? I imagine that you and Jesse have talked about it?"**

"**We have. The girl is going to be called Dai Marie and the boy will be named Nyght Lee." **

"**Dai and Nyght? Huh. Well, whatever you both want."**

"**Actually, he picked them both. Which is fine, I just get to name the next one."  
**

"**You want more?" Shalimar asked, looking at her friend as though she was missing several marbles in her head. **

"**I do, but I don't know about Jesse. It's very possible that he doesn't want anymore children. Or he wants us to single handedly repopulate Sanctuary."**

**Shalimar just rolled her eyes. "Good grief. You two are crazy."**

**Emma nodded good-naturedly. "Yeah. Probably." She said, looking over at the pod where Jesse still slept. "All I want is for him to wake up. And for us to live happily ever after."**

**Shalimar laughed, teasing, "Well you want a lot."**

**Emma just blushed crimson, laughing with her best friend. "How's Skye?"**

"**He's just fine. Grandpa and Uncle Brennan are probably stuffing his face with ice cream."**

"**Where are Lexa and Leo?"**

"**I don't know. Have you noticed…."  
**

"**That Lexa and Adam are constantly shooting looks at each other? Yeah, I noticed."**

"**Have you read them?" Shalimar asked, sprawling back into her chair beside the bed almost haphazardly. **

"**No, I don't have permission. Although, despite this, I can still sense their emotions whenever they're in a room together. They have it bad."**

"**And Leo?"**

"**I don't know. I think he knows and is okay with it. But I can't tell without reading him. How's Brennan?"**

"**He's okay. Freaking out about Jesse's overactive sperm, but okay. He thinks it's hardly fair that you and Jesse have three children and you weren't trying for them and we have none, despite everything."**

**Emma turned onto her side, smiling at the two bassinets next to her bed. "Maybe that's the problem?"**

"**How do you figure?" Shalimar asked, intrigued by what her friend was thinking. **

"**Jesse and I didn't try. Maybe you two shouldn't either. Maybe you should just let things roll as they should. It could be that God doesn't want you to have children yet. And when you're ready for them, God'll give them to you."**

**Shalimar snorted, her eyes rolling. "Oh yeah, and you and Jesse were ready for children. Skye was born while you were on the run and Dai and Nyght were born when Jesse is so ill he has to be in a stasis pod for the next year."**

**Emma looked at her friend, smiling softly. "I ask God sometimes why I was given children by Jesse and I can answer only one thing. God wanted me to have something to hold onto during the hard times. When Jesse and I were separated and I just needed a warm body to hold, I'd have my children to cling to. Maybe that's why we were given children; because I needed to hold onto him."**

**Shalimar looked at her best friend, in awe of the girl's simple philosophy. "You just roll with the punches, don't you?"**

**Emma chuckled, taking Dai from her crib and undoing her nightshirt, laying the nuzzling baby to her breast. "I don't have any other choice. It's either roll with whatever comes, or go certifiably insane." She murmured, before bowing her head over her daughter as Dai suckled greedily.**


	7. Chapter 6

AN: Hey guys, I'm so sorry for neglecting you guys. I had it finished, then went back to rewrite. The rewrite kept making me unhappy, so finally I left it alone. To be honest, what with the other stories I'm writing, I kinda forgot about it until now. I reread what I originally had written and now, for the life of me, can't remember why it was that I was rewriting this story. Plus, it's been a pretty hectic couple of months. Two jobs, 60 hours a week. Friends, family, writing, total chaos. By the way, I'm ENGAGED!

**Chapter 7-**

**Finally it was Skyler's fourth birthday. Adam called Emma on their COMs and both disappeared to the lab. Adam went to the computer, shutting off the sedative flow. "Do you want me to let him continue to sleep or do you want me to give him the stimulant to wake him up now?"**

**"This is the first birthday Skye will ever have that his father could actually be there. Give him the drug and we'll take him to Skye so that Skye can heal him."**

**Adam nodded and unloaded adrenaline into the IV tube. The liquid entered Jesse's bloodstream and Jesse jerked awake. His eyes blinked and he smiled tiredly as he caught sight of Emma's face. Emma moved the glass top of the pod and reached in, pulling Jesse's frail and shivering body against her own. "Hey there my love." She murmured, stroking a hand through his hair. **

**Adam came over, helping Emma haul Jesse to his feet. "Okay, Jesse, you know the drill."**

**"Skye?"**

**"It's his birthday, Jesse. I thought that there would never be a birthday present that he would love more than his daddy being there with him."**

**Jesse nodded and leaned against Emma as she helped him limp to the scanning chair. "Water?" he whispered; his voice was hoarse from the two years of nonuse. **

**"Sure thing, Jesse. Let me go get you some. I'll be right back." Emma said, leaning down and kissing Jesse's placid lips passionately. **

**Jesse watched her as she ran from the lab. He blinked slowly, the fatigue starting to roll off of him. "Why am I so tired?"**

**"You've been asleep for two years. It's normal to be so tired. Give the adrenaline another couple minutes to work. If it hasn't kicked in completely before the hour is up, we'll give you some more."**

**Jesse nodded, leaning back as blood samples were taken, and scans were performed. "Are you okay Jess?"**

**Jesse nodded, sighing slightly. He was watching his mentor quietly, noticing that he seemed happier, lighter. "What's up Adam? Do you have a love life now?"**

**"That is none of your business, Jesse."**

**"So you do. That's interesting. How's Emma?"**

**"She's fine. As are your children. Skyler misses you dreadfully, and Dai is already well acquainted with you. Nyght will be the only one to really worry about."**

**Jesse nodded, fighting his weak body to prop himself up on his elbows as Emma came back with a glass of water. "Thanks." He whispered, as she held the glass for him to drink. **

**Emma tipped the glass up, letting Jesse drink as much as he wanted. Jesse finally finished off the water and flopped back onto the padded chair. "Can I see my son?" he asked quietly.**

**"Of course. Let me go get Skye. The twins are asleep. But you'll see them soon. I'm sure that Skyler wants to claim your complete attention for the moment however."**

**"I'm sure." Jesse chuckled quietly. He was still tired, but the adrenaline was starting to permeate his system, waking him up completely. **

**Emma smiled and kissed him hard before leaving to retrieve her oldest. A minute later, she came back with a much bigger, and four-year-old Skyler Kilmartin in her arms. "Daddy!" Skyler laughed, lunging out of his mother's arms and into his father's. **

**Jesse caught the little boy easily and held him tightly. "Hey there, Skye. How's Daddy's little man?"**

**"I'm good. I've missed you. Uncle Leo and Uncle Brennan play with me, but I miss playing with you." He said, reaching out and placing his tiny hands on his father's bare chest. **

**Jesse tilted his head, looking down in time to see his son's hands glow with a golden light. Skyler's forehead creased, his features locked in a look of concentration. Jesse's head fell back as he felt warm, healing energy sweep throughout his body. Finally Skyler laughed and drew back. "All better," came the little boy's gleeful chuckle as he clapped his hands together.**

**Jesse hugged the boy tightly and then handed him to Emma, swinging his legs over the sides of the scan chair. Waving away Adam's helping hand, Jesse put all of his weight on his legs for the first time in nearly two years. Holding out his hand where he could see it, he phased it, watching the normally solid flesh and muscle go misty. Turning to the chair behind him, he phased the chair. **

**His body protested, causing his knees to go weak and he collapsed, Emma catching him in her arms just in time. "Easy Jesse. Work back up to full strength. You're better, not back at 100 power. Think of yourself as a battery. You need to recharge before you start to phase in and out again." Adam admonished, helping the blond molecular stand again. "Back up on the chair. I want to run a scan."**

**Jesse grimaced and Emma laughed, happy to see her Jesse back. "Oh it's good to have you back, baby." She murmured in his ear, squeezing his hand tightly before letting go and stepping back. **

**Jesse looked dolefully up at the scanning device, but laid still as the yellow light swept up and down again, taking it's readings. "Am I done?"**

**"Yeah, go on. Get out of here and get dressed. The rest of the team will be awake in a couple hours. It's only about four o'clock. If you want to surprise them, be in the common room with Emma and the children when they come out of their rooms."**

**Jesse nodded, wrapping an arm around Emma's shoulders, his free arm holding his 4-year-old son tightly against his chest. Emma leaned her head against his chest as they walked, happy to have him back. Jesse walked toward her room, but Emma shook her head outside his room. "My room got transformed into the nursery for the kids. Skye, could you be a big boy for momma and get dressed and then you can show daddy how you tie your shoes, okay?"**

**Skyler nodded brightly before dashing toward Emma's old room, entering silently so as not to wake the twins. Emma responded to Jesse's bemused and questioning look with a shy grin and a blush, "He's been wanting to show you for a month that he knows how to tie his own shoes and get dressed on his own." Jesse nodded and continued to watch her as she explained why she was staying in his room now. "I moved into your room about three months after you were put into stasis. It was a way to be close to you."**

**Jesse nodded, watching the door to their room slide open. He stepped inside and looked around. It was the perfect mixture of both his and Emma's personalities. His computer components and other electrical parts were sprawled across his desk, exactly where he'd left them so long ago, while Emma's aromatherapy candles were scattered around the room and her own personal mix of the untamed and serene was visible everywhere he turned. It felt like home. **

**There were several pictures of him, Emma and Skyler hanging on one wall and a couple of Dai and Nyght as well. The central portrait of that wall however was a picture of him and Emma that had been taken very early in their relationship. Brennan had taken the picture; neither Emma or Jesse had known that he was taking it. The two were seated on the steps of the dojo, Emma between Jesse's legs. Both were laughing, her head tipped back to meet Jesse's disarming grin and laughing eyes. **

**"It feels like home." Jesse murmured, holding her close. **

**"I'm glad. Because it has been my home for the last two years. And I don't intend to be leaving it just because you're out of the pod again."**

**"If you had been entertaining the thought of leaving me in this room alone, I would have set you straight immediately." Jesse laughed, pulling her close and giving her a deep, passionate kiss. Emma returned the kiss with equal fervor. "Mmm," Jesse hummed, before pulling back a little bit, "I have missed kissing you while in physical form. It beats out everything."**

**Emma laughed, kissing him again before stepping back. "Come on, we need to get dressed and get the twins and Skye."**

**Jesse nodded and moved to the closet, pushing the door back. He smiled at the sight of his clothes hanging neatly from their hangers. Reaching in, he pulled out a white under-tee and a black over-shirt with a pair of raggedly denim jeans. Emma pulled a summery sundress from the depths of her armoire on the other side of the room, laying it on the desk so that she could undress.**

**Turning back toward his girlfriend, clothes in hand, Jesse smiled and tossed his clothes onto the desk with hers, before moving to the door. Locking it, he approached her in three long strides and dropped with her to the pillow-top mattress. Leaning down, he kissed her languidly, tilting his head to take her mouth more easily. Emma moaned, arching up against him as his calloused hand reached down and pushed the material up and out of the way, leaving her warmth open to his delightful caresses. Emma's face tilted up and she captured Jesse's lower lip between her teeth. "It's been too long, my love." She whispered into his ear, nibbling on his earlobe. **

**Jesse shifted back a bit, his free hand fumbling with the scrubs he wore. "I need you. Right now."**

**Emma smiled, her hands coming down to help him. Jesse's breath rushed out as she took him gently and cradled him in her palm. "I'm yours, Jesse, whenever you want me. Wherever we are."**

**Jesse groaned, getting up and shucking out of the scrubs. Emma shimmied out of her nightdress and pulled him back down to her. Both let out contented sighs as he slid home. Emma wrapped her arms around him tightly, pulling down to her. "Take me Jesse. Come for me, my love." She whimpered, arching her back against him. **

**The two were silent as they raced toward the mind-shattering completion that only the other could bring them. Emma gasped as her finish rushed through her veins. Ever in tune with Jesse, she cradled him tightly, urging him to his own satisfying end. Her eyes slid close in rapture as Jesse's orgasm came fast and furious, causing him to slump down onto her form. "I love you." He murmured, pressing a kiss to her breasts before laying his head in the valley between them. **

**They were still for a long time, both trying to regain their equilibrium. Finally, Emma spoke, "I love you, Jesse Kilmartin." Smiling, she teased, "You look exhausted."**

**"You tend to wear me out, my dear. And like Adam said, my battery is not yet recharged." Jesse teased, kissing her again. No matter how many times he kissed her, he couldn't get enough of her alluring taste and gentle touch.**

**Emma laughed and kissed him as she went to retrieve their clothes. "Get dressed and while I'm feeding the twins, you can rest."  
Jesse nodded and dressed in his clothes, and took her hand after she finished tying the halter straps of her dress. Both went barefoot, not wanting to hassle with the extra clothing. "You look ravishing, wife." **

**Emma smiled at the term, before replying, "And you have never been more handsome, husband."**

**The happy couple entered the nursery. Jesse lifted a still tired Skyler, leaving Emma to gather a twin in each arm. Moving quietly, the two went into the common area that had once housed the bright orange dojo where their first child was conceived. Jesse sank into the comforting depths of the couch, Skyler sprawled across his chest like a tiny tadpole, a trait that had earned the toddler the nickname "Wee Froggy." Emma leaned her back against his right side, the front of her dress undone and one tiny babe at each breast. Jesse grabbed the afghan that was draped over the back of the couch and spread it over her and the children so as to preserve her modesty. **

**Emma leaned her head back against her boyfriend, closing her eyes in complete happiness. She had three children who were healthy and gifted, and a boyfriend who loved her with his whole self, just as she loved him. Jesse tipped his head down, kissing her forehead fondly, before draping his right arm over her waist. "I never want this moment to end," he murmured into her hair, inhaling the subtle scent of the shampoo she'd used to wash her hair the previous evening. **

**"Me neither, Jesse, me neither." Emma murmured in reply, tilting her head back to kiss him sweetly. **

**In the shadows, their mentor stood with a camera. Bringing it up to his face, Adam managed to take the picture just as the couple pulled away and gazed adoringly into each other's eyes. It was the first picture the loving pair had that portrayed them as a complete and happy family.**


	8. Conclusion

AN: Hey guys, I'm so sorry for neglecting you guys. I had it finished, then went back to rewrite. The rewrite kept making me unhappy, so finally I left it alone. To be honest, what with the other stories I'm writing, I kinda forgot about it until now. I reread what I originally had written and now, for the life of me, can't remember why it was that I was rewriting this story. Plus, it's been a pretty hectic couple of months. Two jobs, 60 hours a week. Friends, family, writing, total chaos. By the way, I'm ENGAGED!

Last Chapter!

**Conclusion-**

**Brennan groaned to full awareness an hour later. "Ugh!" he muttered, rolling off the bed to start his push-ups. **

**Shalimar rolled over onto her stomach, creaking an eye open to peer at him curiously. "Bren, I love you, but what are you doing?"  
"I'm doing my push-ups. I would have thought that this was fairly obvious."**

**"Very funny," Shalimar yawned, stretching like the untamed cat she was. "Do you have to do them this early in the morning?"**

**"It's Skye's fourth birthday today. He needs his Aunt Shal and his Uncle Bren. We don't even know if Skyler is old enough to heal Jesse yet. And if he's not, then he'll need us to fill the void where his father should be."**

**Shalimar growled, unable to fault his logic. "Damn you." She muttered, before climbing out of bed and heading for the shower. "Come in and join me if you think that you're up for the exertion this early in the morning." She teased, before continuing, "You are, after all, an old man."**

**"I'm not old," Brennan growled, following her into the bathroom. "And I think that I can handle the exertion. I was just doing push-ups wasn't I?"**

**Shalimar laughed and started to undress, stepping under the water and starting her everyday ritual. **

**Adam had left the happy couple and headed back to his bed, hoping to catch another couple hours of sleep. The figure curled up in his bed caused him to smile. "Lexa, honey, wake up."**

**Lexa Pierce blinked repetitively, smiling at the man sitting on the bed next to her. "What time is it? I didn't even hear you come to bed."**

**"That's cause I didn't. How are you this morning?"**

**"Tired. Come to bed," she groaned, grabbing his arm and dragging him under the covers with her. "You're wearing too many clothes." She complained, starting to peel off his jacket and dress shirt, before spooning back against him, dressed in only his slacks. **

**Adam went up onto one elbow and kissed her temple. "Good night, my darling Lexa."**

**"Night, Adam." She murmured, before closing her eyes and falling asleep again. **

**Adam laid down and closed his eyes, smiling as he followed this ravishing woman in his arms into the world of dreams. **

**Leo was the only one to wake up alone. He didn't mind it so much. He was used to being alone. **

**Nearly two hours later, everyone converged on the living area at once. Shalimar let out a happy cry at the sight of her baby brother sitting on the couch. "Jesse!" **

**At the cry, both Emma and Jesse looked up. The children just ignored their aunt. Jesse's arm was around Emma's waist and Skye and the twins were playing on a blanket on the floor. Dai was lifting blocks telekinetically and throwing them at her brothers, causing all three to giggle uproariously. Jesse smiled at Shalimar, letting out a startled breath as Shalimar dove into his lap and squeezed him as tightly as she could around the neck. "You're awake!" she shouted, hugging him tightly. **

**"Ouch! Shal, that's my ear!" Jesse teased, hugging her back just as tightly. "Am I right in guessing that you missed me then?"**

**Shalimar drew a hand back and punched his shoulder hard. Jesse jumped, grabbing at the spot as Shalimar launched herself to her feet. "Ow! Shal, what did I do to deserve that?"**

**"That's for all of the worry you've put me through since you were 14 years old. If you ever, and I do mean ever, scare me like that again, a simple punch will be the least of your worries, do I make myself clear? You scared me witless!"**

**Jesse fought to hide his smile, seeing that the other members of the team were not being quite as discreet. "Sorry?" he questioned, smirking playfully. **

**"Sorry?" she shouted, throwing her hands up and advancing on Jesse menacingly, "I'll show you sorry." She threatened. **

**Brennan chuckled as he pulled his wife back against his chest. "Darling, calm down. The stress isn't good for the baby."**

**Jesse glared at Brennan. "You knocked up my sister?"**

**"Don't give me that look. You already knocked up Emma, who is my sister. Not once even, twice. And unlike you and Emma, Shal and I are married."**

**Jesse leaned back, pulling Emma close. "Well, that's an oversight that will be remedied shortly. That is, if the lovely Miss DeLauro sees no problem with it?"**

**"I have no problem at all, Jesse. All I have wanted for the past five years was to be your wife. And for our children to have their father's name, legally."**

**"Consider that a birthday present, Skye." Jesse said, laughing at the antics of the children in front of him. **

**The other five adults took seats around the room, just laughing with each other. If there was one thing that Jesse's cancer had taught them, it was that family was forever. And no matter what, family was the only thing you could ever really trust. **

**The End **


End file.
